This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing blind material and in particular mats of honeycomb blind material.
Mats of insulating blind material in the form of a stack of a plurality of contiguous cells are known in the art. Until now these mats have been made by a number of methods which produce substantial quantities of waste.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,354 issued June 14, 1983 discloses an apparatus which comprises a rotating cylinder which is wound over by two sheets of blind material. An adhesive is positioned on the sheets at alternate locations as the sheets are wound to create the cells of the blind. Once the material is wound on the cylinder it is cut axially. The mat is then straightened. This method forms layers of unequal length and a tendency of the mat to bend to its curved position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,027 issued May 22, 1984 discloses a method which partially overcomes the drawbacks mentioned above. The method uses a movable rack which rotates as material is wound thereon. The rack has at least two opposite flat surfaces. The material is folded and then wrapped around the rack to form a plurality of layers. Blind mats are cut from the flat surfaces while the turned portions at either end of the surfaces produce unusable mats which go to waste.